An old Dassanech woman prepares her fields beside the Omo River with a digging stick in readiness to plant sorghum. This crude form of agricultural implement is in common use in this remote part of Ethiopia.The Omo River rises in the Ethiopian Highlands and flows for over 600 miles before discharging its waters into the northern end of Lake Turkana. Once a year following rains in the highlands, the river rises and bursts its banks, flooding the low-lying plains. After the water has subsided, the Dassanech plant crops in the fertile soil. Without flooding, there would be no agriculture because the annual rainfall is too low.The Dassanech speak a language of Eastern Cushitic origin. They practice animal husbandry and fishing as well as agriculture.